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TIL when Sparta won the Peloponnesian War, the cities of Corinth and Thebes demanded that Athens should be destroyed and its citizens should be enslaved. Sparta refused, and took Athens into their own system. Athens was “to have the same friends and enemies” as Sparta.

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EkYo TIL Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” reached only #41 on the U.S. pop chart, and was not even released as a single in the UK because it “lacked a strong hook”
1aoGV TIL The term "goose" is properly used for a female bird, while "gander" refers specifically to a male. Young birds before fledging are called goslings. A group on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump.
kVrW TIL Charles Rigoulot a french weightlifter was jailed for hitting a Nazi gaurd, but broke out of his jail cell by bending the bars. He allowed other prisoners to escape as well. Then beat the guard who jailed him.
BLry TIL a sick Great Dane was rushed to the emergency hospital. Unidentifiable foreign material showed up in his stomach on xray. Hours later, the surgeon reported removing 43-and-a-half socks from the dog’s stomach, saving his life.
oRo0E TIL in the original 1977 Star Wars the Death Star countdown for destroying Yavin 4 (the big threat in the trench run scene) was not in the shooting script, but was created during an edit by Marcia Lucas to add more tension. It was achieved using voiceovers, re-purposed shots, and inserts.